Unseen Influences

How restaurants guide you to their favorite dishes

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2548884/fan_mail/new] Today we’re talking about restaurants and the things they do to guide your choice about what to eat, how to get you to order more items and tricks servers use to boost their tips.

Wayfinding: The subtle ways you are guided to your destination

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2548884/fan_mail/new] If you've lived in a community for a few years, you get to know your way around pretty well. If one road is blocked, you know in your mind how to work around it. But if you're visiting a different community, especially one in another country, you need signs and other cues to find your destination. Even the shopping lot of a major mall or the halls of a large hospital can leave you hopefully lost. Enter the world of wayfinders -- people who help you get where your going without having to interrupt employees or become frustrated with the environment you're in. There's a science to it and today we'll tell you all about it.

Dynamic pricing: Pricing change as merchants gauge what you're willing to pay

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2548884/fan_mail/new] The grocery shopper two carts behind you may be paying less for that can of tomatoes that you just put on the belt. Why? Because the store knows from your past shopping experiences what your price point is. With AI and even more powerful computers, sellers are about to get a lot more aggressive with their pricing and you may not know what the price is until you reach the register, if you notice at all. And it's not just groceries. Dynamic pricing is about to expand its reach beyond the grocery stores, airplane tickets and other places we've already experienced it. Listen in as we tell you how this Unseen Influence works and what it may mean for your future budget.

Sniff, sniff. Wanna get married? The power of smell

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2548884/fan_mail/new] Many years ago, as I was coming off a concourse on my way to the airport baggage claim area, I was hit with an overpowering smell. It was warm and inviting. It made me feel at home. As I descended the escalator, it was the unmistakable scent of warm cinnamon rolls. And at that moment, I didn't care how far I had to walk or what I had to pay, but I was going to have one of those Cinnabon cinnamon rolls no matter how long my luggage spun around the carousel. Today we talk about the power of smell and the influence it has on our choices and our memories. Links to Rachael Herz: Here are some links to include:  Her book on food and eating, Why You Eat What You Eat [https://www.amazon.com/Why-You-Eat-What-Relationship/dp/0393356604/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0] Website [https://rachelherz.com/] Brown University Profile [https://vivo.brown.edu/manager/display/rherz/] Wikipedia profile [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Sarah_Herz] "Smell is Emotion" [https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/16/1/59]

Shaping your mind: Employee training

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2548884/fan_mail/new] There used to be a snarky joke about the Bell Company, when it existed back in the 60s and 70s, that the employees had Bell-shaped heads. In other words, they all spouted the same company line. It makes sense when you think about it, everyone needs to be on the same page and chasing the same goals. Today it's called on-boarding. New employees get a manual or handbook talking about the company's culture, history and maybe even a mission statement. Today we'll look at some of the practices companies use to get you to see things from their -- and their shareholders' -- point of view and make their beliefs your beliefs.